1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to consumer digital video recording devices (DVRs), and more particularly to a method and DVR that match a video stream with an exit point from a virtual scene.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital video recorder (DVRs), which may be in the form of a portable device such as a personal video recorder (PVR), a set-top box or a computer having a video interface and/or video capability provided from a digital or analog network source are becoming ubiquitous in households and other locations.
Techniques such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,209 to Uyttendaele, et al., provide the possibility of merging virtual scene technology and video to give the user control of their own perspective, e.g., a “personal” camera angle, when viewing a video program. Other techniques, such as those disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application 2002/0188943 to Freeman, et al., provide for “seamless”, i.e., video-synchronized switching between different real video views or graphics overlays, as well as other program sources, in response to a user selection.
However, for a user to truly have an integrated seamless experience, the video must not only be synchronized, but changes in camera angle, program position and other features of the displayed video should be minimized at transitions between video sources and/or virtual scenes. In particular, the transition back from a virtual scene to a video stream, which may be one of many video streams, is a complex problem in that a video stream (or a video stream selected from multiple streams) may be at an arbitrary camera angle and event time, while the content of the virtual scene is generally under user control.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and system that can minimize the transition changes from a virtual scene to a video stream, in order to provide a more seamless viewing experience for program viewers.